1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of swimming pool exercise equipment and more particularly to an apparatus which permits modest to intense pool exercise while keeping the head dry and optimizing lumbar spine flexion.
2. Background Art
Obesity and lack of exercise are common and major health problems, which lead to low back pain, joint pains in the legs, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and a myriad of other serious medical problems. The inventor is a neurologist who has been frustrated with attempts to get patients to exercise and lose weight. Walking and cycling are often reported as aggravating back and leg pains. Swimming is an ideal form of exercise as the buoyancy of water takes the weight off the spine and legs while still allowing vigorous aerobic exercise. However, the crawl and breaststroke cause lumbar spine extension and can aggravate low back pain, and the sidestroke is not a comfortable stroke for many patients. Also, swim strokes which require the use of the arms can lead to problems with shoulder bursitis. The inventor has therefore come to frequently recommend to his patients that they swim using a backstroke and use swim fins to increase leg resistance and to allow swimming without needing to use the arms.
However, patients still often will not swim because they do not know how to swim or are poor swimmers, or do not want to get their heads wet. Women often do not want to have to reset their hair after swimming. Some patients are prone to swimmer's ear and do not want to get their ears wet. Other patients do not want to get their eyes wet, and others may have sinus problems and do not want to get water in their noses.
A search of the relevant prior art reveals the following issued U.S. Patents:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,869 Simmon        U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,863 Yacoboski        U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,527 Schober        U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,649 Erickson et al        U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,423 Silvia        U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,979 Saltel et al        U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,186 Bambanian        U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,706 Scheurer et al        
Saltel et al has no handles to stabilize the device, no headrest to keep the user's head dry and a structure which could interfere with leg motion. Silvia shows a U-shaped floating chair with a head support, but no handles to stabilize the unit and provide steering control. Bambanian shows a flexible flotation device having handles and a head support, but which provides no lower back support.